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"The demand to expand telehealth practice and coverage is
high from all types of providers, from primary care physicians
who are looking to help their patients manage chronic diseases to
specialists caring for high-risk, high-cost patients," according to the
briefing. "Telehealth also holds significant potential for fields like
behavioral health, where patient populations are often high-risk and
can see significant benefits from remote, easy-to-access care.
As for the patients, their voices offer "the strongest, or perhaps most
decisive, push. As health care becomes a much more consumer-
driven field, providers, policy makers, and payers ... will have to
respond to meet patient demands, including the demand for access
to health care services provided via telehealth as a cost-effective
way to engage the health care system."
Legislation and Expansion